Image title: Maitreya with Chaitya Attribute

This Copper sculpture shows an image of Maitreya with Chaitya Attribute, from the 17th/18th century origination from Tibet.—Materials used: Copper alloy, gilt, paint.

Description: One of the most distinctive attributes of the Bodhisattva Maitreya is the chaitya surmounting his coiffure. It refers to the belief that Maitreya will someday return to earth and visit the chaitya where Shakyamuni’s mortal predecessor, the Buddha Kashyapa, is buried. When Maitreya arrives, the monument will miraculously part to enable Kashyapa to confer Shakyamuni's robes on the new earthly Buddha. Most Buddhists believe Kashyapa to be buried at Bodhgaya in northern India. In the Kathmandu Valley, however, the great stupa of Bodhnath [Boudhanath] is believed to contain Kashyapa’s remains.

Gallery information:

The Patan Museum is located on the Durbar square of Patan (Lalitpur/Lalitapura, Kathmandu, Nepal) which is associated Keshav Narayan Chowk (Keshavnarayan)—a form of Lord Vishnu. Being listed as a World Heritage Site, the whole of Durbar square is filled with exquisite temples, sculptures and other ancient structures, of which the ancient history history can be traced to the Malla Kings of Lalitpur. It is an important site for both Buddhism and Hinduism.